Introduction

While premium kilowatt power supplies may garner much of the attention and buzz in the marketplace, there is far greater demand for units under a kilowatt that still easily satisfy most enthusiasts’ system needs. After all, a power supply in the 750-850W range provides plenty of juice for most demanding gaming systems, and it’s in this target market where we find ourselves for today’s review.

Performance and value go hand-in-hand, and features can also be a critical component when looking for a new power supply. Certainly we’ve noted an important trend for improved efficiency, to offer better power supplies to consumers that are more frugal, saving money and better for the environment at the same time. 80PLUS Bronze used to be the standard, but that’s now the minimum we can expect from modern power supplies. 80PLUS Gold is better, but 80PLUS Platinum is where the action is nowadays for those who want to really push the envelope. And that’s where the Antec High Current Pro Platinum 850W might offer a solution.

There aren’t many 80PLUS Platinum power supplies on the market in the 800-900W power range, so the HCP-850 comes with considerable interest to us. Antec is a respected name in the component industry, and while this one isn’t a monster premium power supply like some we’ve seen of late, the HCP-850 is well featured and comes with a price $249.

Let’s take a closer look at this Antec power supply and see how it fares.